Hi,
To ease my current elbow strain my physio has suggested increasing the diameter of my bar.

I'm thinking of wrapping some type of grip tape around it to build up a bit more diameter. Been looking around online and I'm thinking along the lines of bicycle bar tape. But I don't know whether it will stick to the current foam covering and also how long it'll last in the water...

Has anyone else tried to do this and if so what tape did you use and how'd it go?
Is there such a thing as waterproof self adhesive foam grip tape?

Cheers.

Seems funny to increase the thickness of the bar for a elbow prob, I would think that would make it worse. Try shortening the steereing lines so you are kiting with near straight arms when kite is powered up.

Physios suck bum.

sounds like dodgy physio advice, do they kite?
newbies do tend to grip and pull their bar as hard as they can because they don't realise it is a steering mechanism only
try to relax your grip, the kite is attached to the harness

Might work if you can find the correct stuff. Hockey grips and the like have a really limited life (2-3 sessions) as they don't like getting drenched and then drying out much. They tend to crack and split. I'd imagine similar problems with cheap cycle grip. The cork tape might be better?

You can wrap with self amalgamating tape (start on the outside wrapping in) but it isn't that thick. Might be just enough though to make a difference.

You can do a long whipping knot with 3 mm dynema . That gives you an extra 6mm diameter.

Won't bigger bar diameter require more grip strength? This is certainly true with resitance training. Logic would make me think that more grip strength = worse tennis elbow?

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snalberski said..
You can do a long whipping knot with 3 mm dynema . That gives you an extra 6mm diameter.

That could be a goer, then its easy to remove if I dont like it. I wonder how the grip would be but...


weebitbreezy said..
Might work if you can find the correct stuff. Hockey grips and the like have a really limited life (2-3 sessions) as they don't like getting drenched and then drying out much. They tend to crack and split. I'd imagine similar problems with cheap cycle grip. The cork tape might be better?

You can wrap with self amalgamating tape (start on the outside wrapping in) but it isn't that thick. Might be just enough though to make a difference.


Yeah, was thinking those sort of tapes wouldn't last.





As for the thicker grip idea, it is good advice. I'm pretty sure my physio knows what he talking about. When I grip something thin (like my finger) its hurts my forearm. When I grip something fatter (like my wrist) it doesn't hurt.
I use the same principal on my mountain bike. Thicker grips reduces arm pump (forearm pain near the elbow)

And yeah, It would prob be a good idea for me to work on lossening my grip, but latey I've been flying big kites in the surf in **** wind which means im working the kite hard the whole time, no parking the kite and crusing.

... mate of mine used tennis racquet grip to repair his bar and it seems to be lasting ok, roughly 2 years old now. Not too expensive too and was easy to apply as it had glue backing so he just wrapped it around and jobs done.

I think he glued the ends with something extra, not sure what but so I'm sure you can figure something out.

Cheers,

Robbie

Rowdy grips his own bars. Maybe pm him. I was under the impression it was tennis racquet grip. (But could be handlebar grip) I like thicker bars as well and they do relieve carpal tunnel. I think it was cabrinha or a blade I had; an older bar that was thicker towards centre (where I always hold bar). It was really comfy

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nikmcc said..

snalberski said..
You can do a long whipping knot with 3 mm dynema . That gives you an extra 6mm diameter.

That could be a goer, then its easy to remove if I dont like it. I wonder how the grip would be but...

I used whipping to fix a 2013 North bar (which were notorious for losing their grip) and it worked really well.... felt nice and functioned faultlessly

There's a weight training product called "fat gripz" which could be useful for this purpose...

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Rails said..
sounds like dodgy physio advice, do they kite?
newbies do tend to grip and pull their bar as hard as they can because they don't realise it is a steering mechanism only
try to relax your grip, the kite is attached to the harness

wider grip does releave force to your elbow mate. Not dodgy advise at all. Just science

I've made a few homemade frankenbars.
Bicycle race tape works best (the stuff they use on race bike handle bars - $15 approx )
I didn't glue it on though.
Took a few attempts to get it right.
You have to wrap it as tight as possible, and finish the ends off with good quality electrical tape.

Its ts not exactly aesthetically pleasing.... But it works.
The biggest downside is the bar gets pretty slippery after a while. You don't realise for the first few hours, but after a half day on the water your hands are rooted from gripping that extra bit on a slippery bar.

I did have a bit of sports Elastoplast at the centre of the bar to make it a little less slippery. It's done 2 seasons since re-grip and its Shweet!

Cheers! some good ideas.

I'll buy some cheap bike tape and see how that goes, then look into a more permanent fix if it works.

Will also check out the fat grip thing

Heres a few more ideas to help with management and understanding of whats going on in there..

What happens according to wrist angles and individual finger grip, also affects your elbow problem.
From a windsurf/waveboarding background - I use the windsurf one under one over grip.. for some tricks both over.

Yes seems weird but can load spread and minimize elbow soreness.
Just like foil boards - everyone had to change riding style to suit load spreading..

This basic video also gives a very useful insight to what happens when you grab a weighted bar for prolonged periods of time at different angles and finger grips..

Holding onto a kite is not much different than Swinging around in a Gym holding onto a bar connected to a cable weight machine for a few hours non stop..

Your physio is partly correct as you will see with the grip size forcing a different grip muscle activation.

Did the grip on mine 2 years ago. Removed the failing grip and replaced it with bicycle grip and a permanent type double sided tape. Nice and soft, ok grip however a little thicker than ideal for me.. But it was cheap.

I recently switched to the LF mission control bar and it's actually a lot smaller diameter than I've had and I've found it's a big help with my elbows. Also another tip is not to wrap your thumbs around bar. Just hang them over the top. That stops you from gripping bar too hard . I think that's why that works. Everyone is diff though. I don't understand the science of why your physio thinks a thicker bar is better?

you shouldnt need to grip the bar anyway unless you're in the middle of a handlepass

all it takes is a light wraparound with your fingers and your thumb on the bottom for leverage

use technique to steer the kite, not strength

Like Ragzilla says... most bike grip tape gets slippery.
I tried a few and soon as its wet - its slippery, not really ideal as youll end up squeezing tighter, to keep a stable grip.